Ministry for The Climate Emergency

New public health information campaign sheds light on the latest ‘commerciogenic’ disease plaguing our societies: ‘CARWASH'

Following previous health warnings from the Ministry for the Climate Emergency about the dangers of brain pollution - its new public health information campaign sheds light on the latest ‘commerciogenic’ disease plaguing our societies: ‘CARWASH'.

The condition is chronic in modern societies and results from a deluge of carmakers' adverts filled with natural landscapes and open roads, encouraging people to buy bigger, more dangerous SUV models. Their adverts make a deep imprint in our brains via slick marketing campaigns and vague 'green' credentials, all the while boosting demand for these heavy, huge and highly polluting models, with SUVs producing 20% more CO2 emissions on average than conventional cars.

The condition is chronic in modern societies and results from a deluge of carmakers' adverts filled with natural landscapes and open roads, encouraging people to buy bigger, more dangerous SUV models. Their adverts make a deep imprint in our brains via slick marketing campaigns and vague 'green' credentials, all the while boosting demand for these heavy, huge and highly polluting models, with SUVs producing 20% more CO2 emissions on average than conventional cars.

This new warning coincides with Paris' vote to triple parking fees for SUVs in the capital, a clear sign that city dwellers are tired of massive cars dominating their streets.

The vote follows a trend of decisions in Paris - including gradually banning diesel vehicles and increasing bicycle lane capacity - that signal a clear shift away from car-centric, congested cities and towards climate-conscious planning that priorises public space and safety. According to polling conducted before the vote, more than 6 out of 10 Parisians were in favour of increasing parking charges for large, heavy and more polluting vehicles, and the majority have a negative opinion of SUVs overall.

This warning from the Ministry for the Climate Emergency is unequivocal. Carmakers spent an estimated $42 billion on marketing in 2022 to hide the toxic reality, but the people want safe, clean streets, and it's clearer than ever that SUVs provide neither. It's time for an end to SUV advertising to reduce demand for city-clogging tanks that fuel the climate crisis, and instead to start creating better public spaces that work for people and planet.